Best atmosphere! You can't go wrong. Best canola and carbonara ever. Food: fresh and original Service: smiles and attempiness. Ambiance: the right mix of chill. read more

Went to il Canale last night for a dinner with friends. The lights and atmosphere of the restaurant are always inviting. We had some wine while we had the Calamari and Caesar salads. The Calamari was good but a little salty for my liking. The Caesar was light and refreshing. One of my friends is gluten free and she was able to get the La Regina pizza crust gluten free and it still tasted amazing. They had a number of gluten free options which is great. We also had the Lobster Ravioli which was delicious. The Ravioli Porcini was lighter than the Lobster Ravioli but just as flavorful and creamy. We had cannolis and Torta Siciliana for dessert and they were both incredible. The cannolis were pistachio, which I loved. Our food did take a while to come out, but the manager came around and checked on us multiple times. Definitely recommend trying this out if you're in Georgetown! read more

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I was in town for the weekend to run a half marathon and needed a place for dinner to do my final round of carb loading on Friday night. Being from out of town, I decided to use Yelp to find a place and il Canale stood out to me. I got there about 7:45 during the peak of dinner rush and it was bustling! There were people waiting outside for a table to be available. Since I was by myself, I was luckily able to find an open seat at the bar quickly, which was perfect because I was able to watch the game that was on. The bartender greeted me and provided a menu and water. After looking at the menu I asked the bartender what his suggestions are which he happily obliged. I decided to order the Penne al Salmone and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. The bartender provided the glass of wine quickly and before I knew it my pasta was being served. It was absolutely delicious!! The flavors were great, and it was the perfect size for my needs. It was light so I didn't feel heavy and it provided plenty of carbs for me. It was decently priced too. The atmosphere was great, as it was lovely with lots of people dining and talking and enjoy their meals. Next time I am in DC and want to have Italian, Il Canale will definitely be on the list! read more

il Canale - Penne al Salmone - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Came on a trip to DC and came here twice. I preferred sitting outside than inside. I tried the Lobster Ravioli and the pizza. They were good, but trust and get the Tiramisu. I really enjoyed it! read more

il Canale - Tiramisu, Pizza - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Terrific Italian restaurant with sidewalk seating and numerous cozy spaces inside. Service is personable, knowledgeable, and attentive. The food is the star though. Everything we had was excellent. Very fresh authentic Italian ingredients. Good for groups, friends, families, and dates. A reservation is pretty much required. read more

il Canale - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Did a to go order for and got the GLUTEN FREE pasta. It has mussels and shrimp. I thought it tasted good and it something that I would get again. All my co workers got something. It was ready in 20-30 min and was an easy pick up experience. Because it was a pick up I didn't get much of the ambiance. They had multiple GLUTEN FREE pastas, not just this one. read more

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Amazing! We have been coming here for the lobster ravioli for years. My husband requests it every year for his birthday! The serving for 2 is on the smaller side so recommend at least one appetizer. The caprese is good. Once we requested an eggplant Parmesan which wasn't on the menu, and the chef gladly made it for us as a starter. Service is a little too fast for my liking. The restaurant gets so much traffic, most of our meals there are under an hour. We typically sit outside on the patio which doesn't accept reservations. The inside and outside area is quite big so it is easy to walk in and get a table with a 15 minute wait max. The pizza is also delicious. Tastes straight from Naples. read more

Gabrielle was a wonderful server. He was attentive but not overbearing. He was friendly and answered any questions we had. We had the lasagna and it was one of the best I've had in a long time. If you are walking around Georgetown and looking for a casual delicious Italian place I'd recommend Il Canale. read more

I actually love this place in Georgetown, it was nice to seat outside and people watch while eating lol. The service was great had no complaints. Now for food I had the Calamari e Zucchine Fritti which I enjoyed, the Margherita was delicious and flavorful too not too crusty, Scialatielli allo Scoglio was a fave then the Lobster Ravioli was my highlight very filling and generous portions. The aperol and hugo spiritz are fabulous too gotta order that. It's an amazing spot I've been here 3 times definitely recommend read more

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We stopped by this Italian restaurant for lunch, though I wasn't very hungry after a big breakfast. I ordered just a salad and garlic cheesy fries, while my friend got the sea bass with vegetables. Even though it's an Italian place, and probably smarter to order pasta or pizza, we didn't regret our choices. The salad was fresh, the fries were crispy and packed with flavor, and my friend said her sea bass was moist and very flavorful. The atmosphere was also great, especially with the option to sit outside on a warm day. I'd definitely recommend this spot, but ideally, go when you're actually hungry and try one of their Italian dishes like pizza or pasta! read more

Food is good but the wait staff needs slight improvement. Last time I sat at the bar and had wonderful service and great conversation from the young lady bartender from Sardinia. This time we went back but sat at an outside table. It took forever for the wait person to show up although the place was literally empty. When she approached the table there was no smile nor courtesy she was just plain with a look as though she had something else to do or somewhere else to be. My wife and I were both puzzled. But we ordered anyway and we ate with no issues except my wife had to ask for napkins repeatedly until some were finally brought to us. Maybe they had a staff meeting and she was told it's her last day working there but I think in the future we are going to try somewhere else. read more

The BEST! Il Canale never disappoints. There is no bad choice on the menu and it's easy to share if you choose. Our server, Ella was awesome! She was helpful, friendly and welcoming, and very accommodating. Our group continues to rave about the food and the experience! read more

I've been looking forward to dining here for about a year and glad I was able to. I heard so much about the pizza and I was not disappointed. One of the better places in DC for pizza. They are decent size for 1 maybe two petiole who are not hungry. I devoured mine myself, lol. I didn't get an app, vlbut recommend using the olive oil that comes w the complimentary bread to dip your crust in. The wait was long and glad I had a reservation. My reservation was for 2 and I couldn't get a seat until my friend arrived. We were in the second level and it was loud. I had trouble hearing my server who was good. All in loud I will go back. read more

il Canale - Menu - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The place was nicely decorated. I went with my adult daughter and idk if the one side was full or not but the sats us with a bunch of families with little kids right in the middle of all of them. Which normally I wouldn't mind but it was just the two of us and the area we were in the other half was empty so why would they place us in the middle of all the families with little kids. We did ask to move and they did move us to 2 tables away from the families. Anyways we ordered the restaurant week meal special. I had the calamari appetizer, with the Branzino and panna cotta dessert. My daughter ordered the Caesar salad, lobster ravioli and cannolis. The calamari was as very tasty and fresh. The Branzino was tasteless. There wasn't any seasoning at all the veggies were mush even though the Branzino was cooked well, it was flaky and would have been amazing id there was any flavoring. The Caesar salad was tasty and fresh, the lobster ravioli was okay I have had much better the sauce was thick and chunky the flavor was great in the sauce other than the texture. The desserts the coconut panna cotta cheese was set and it was very smooth and creamy with a touch of coconut it wasn't overwhelming. The cannolis were very good. The best thing we had. So I wonder if they are made in house or brought in because it wasn't like anything else we had ordered. read more

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Absolutely great food! Service was amazing and friendly. This is a must stop and eat here. read more

il Canale - Best pizza ever! - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Delicious, authentic Italian food! (I lived in Naples, so I know!) Gabrielle was efficient and attentive. Excellent experience, would highly recommend read more

The pizza, atmosphere, and drinks were wonderful! Our server Erind was so kind and fantastic - we really enjoyed our lunch here and will definitely come back. read more

il Canale - Margherita Pizza - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I recently had dinner with some friends at Il Canale in Georgetown. Given that it was a Saturday, the restaurant was packed and we were seated on the second floor. We started with the complimentary bread & oil, calamari, and each got a caesar salad to start. The bread was served with much too less olive oil - we had to request extra. The calamari was a bit salty and originally was sent out without marinara sauce. The caesar salads - especially the croutons were tasty. For dinner, we ordered the Lobster Ravioli, Ravioli ai Porcini e Tartufo, and the La Regina pizza all of which were excellent. For dessert we had Cannoli's and the Torta Sicliana di Ricotta cake - the Cannoli's were full of flavor and the cake was refreshing. Taking off a star for the 1 hr wait for our food and slow service. One thing to note: the table would have been better suited for two people. Throughout our meal, table space was limited and we were constantly shuffling plates to make things fit on the table at once. read more

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The BEST and most authentic Italian pizza in all of DC. I order the Diavola and add in ricotta for the tastiest experience. The pizzas are big enough to eat two pieces and split the other two with others, or thin enough to eat 3-4 by yourself! Quality ingredients. Great outdoor seating at the cutest street in Georgetown read more

il Canale - Diavola with ricotta. Spicy salami - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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We went for happy hour this evening. Everything was excellent! Food, drinks, service...we had several appetizers including truffle fries, calamari, meatballs, and burrata, and all were so good! We ended we tiramisu which was perfection. Gabriele, was our server, and he was so attentive. 10/10! read more

Stopped by for a quick snack and a drink to get out of the heat, sat at the bar and had quick service. The bruschetta was really tasty, can't really go wrong with this choice. The drinks were ok but nothing special. The restaurant is nice inside, I would come back to try a full meal. read more

il Canale - Sicilian Spicy - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Absolute debacle. Set up a reservation weeks in advance for valentines day, knowing Georgetown would be busy and coming down to visit the area. Arrived at this restaurant 20 minutes prior our reservation to a mad house. Waited in a line just to speak the hostess, just to be told wait either outside or on the stairs. Ultimately waited over 45 minutes not even to get seated. Management was a absolute nightmare. read more

il Canale - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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A hidden secret in the Georgetown area. Literally, you have to go to the 3rd floor at the squash level of the building so you can't find it at the street level. I had a half mushroom and half fig/arugula pizza. It was perfectly cooked and the best of both savory and sweet worlds. Service was good. Ambiance was basically a colocated pizza/bar spot for the squash players/community. Interesting audience conversations. Would definitely recommend for those who appreciate a great pizza. read more

il Canale - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Gabriel was amazing! Quick service & good food! The mushroom ravioli was the star of the show!

Il Canale is in DC's top 50 restaurants according to Yelpers and you can easily tell why! The pizzas are stellar!!! We ended up sharing two pizzas (the mortadella and pistachio, the diavola) and they were perfectly crisp but also tender. The pistachio was a great addition to the first pizza and the diavola had the most amazing spicy sausage and the red sauce was just so good. I love the dark spots and you can tell that this is authentic Italian pizza (reminded me of this amazing place I went to in Milan). The bruschetta caponata wasn't my personal favorite, but my boyfriend loved it (I don't love eggplant). It was a bit loud in the restaurant, so I would say go here with a larger group or more casual night out! If you're looking for somewhere more intimate and quiet or romantic this probably wouldn't be the place. But it was fun energy. Our waitress was really nice and gave great recommendations! I asked for a rose and she said the one below was better and it honestly was some of the best rose I've had. So I can't complain. She was attentive, kind, and quick. Everything came out perfectly and in a very short period of time. I'd 100% come back! I wanna try more pizzas and the pasta! read more

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I wanted to say I enjoyed dining here, but unfortunately it was not pleasant as I had hoped. We made a reservation at 7pm and we understand that since this restaurant was in Georgetown, it would be busy during this time of the day. However, we were seated about 20 mins after our reservation time and there was barely any room to stand as we waited. Once we were seated, our server came in to drop off our menus with barely a couple words which we did not mind as we noticed it was a full house. I will add however, the service we received was not very pleasant. Our water did not really get topped off unless we asked, and we felt extremely rushed throughout the entire dining process. The food was not as good as we hoped. From the moment we got our bruschetta to the pizza and pasta. We noticed everything lacked flavor. Bruschetta was just tomatoes on almost burnt bread which we ended up substituting it with the house bread. The pizza was lacking in so much flavor and toppings. Lastly, the pasta was also not only lacking in flavor but also heavy on butter. As for the ambiance, we can't really say much as we were seated in the very back corner almost leaving one of us with no room to leave in and out of the table. Unfortunately, we left unsatisfied and won't be returning back but I do hope that if you are in the area and you want to give it a try, I do encourage you to as everyones experience and taste profile is different! read more

il Canale - Bruschetta (4 Pieces) - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

What a great dining experience! Our server Ella was phenomenal, so kind and attentive to everything g we asked! First time at this restaurant and we will be back! Thank you! read more

il Canale - Yum cannolis! - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The dining experience was exceptional. We ordered a Margherita Pizza, a salad, and Minestrone soup. Our server, Wendy, exhibited remarkable patience and kindness throughout our visit. The ambiance of the establishment was very pleasant, and the volume of the music was appropriately subdued. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

One of my favorite spots in DC! Our server Ella was the sweetest and our food was fantastic. read more

il Canale - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

First time at this restaurant and we can't believe we hadn't been here before. Overall an excellent experience, the food was great, the atmosphere was fun, and the service unobtrusive. Photos of celebrities and politicians that have eaten here. I'm assuming they rotate photos so the current administration is highlighted upfront. Not a plus, given the current incompetent administration, but they're a business and you gotta do what you gotta do. read more

Decided to come here instead of another nearby Italian restaurant and half our party was happy with the choice and other half not so much. Got the bruschetta and calamari/zucchini to start. The bruschetta had lots of tomatoes on it and was a good mix with the basil, olive oil, etc. The fried calamari was dry and the fried zucchini was a little soggy, so don't be like us and just eat it. We probably should have said something. As entrees, we ordered the lasagna and 2 pizzas (diavola and margherita). The lasagna seemed to have a sweet taste to it, instead of that hearty taste we're accustomed to, so we'd pass on the lasagna if we came back. The pizzas were the stars, as the toppings of both were good but the pizzas were a little floppy. They could stand to stay in the oven another minute or so. read more

Food was good. Service was attentive if you don't mind the fake Italian accent. Prices are ok. They remind you all the time that everything they serve is originally from Italy. DOC, like the say in Italy. Well, it is not true. We ordered a Prosecco bottle, which should carry a DOC Veneto. They brought a US made cheap Cuvee. I asked for Prosseco and the waiter told me that US made bottle was real Prosseco. If they lie once I assume there are plenty of lies around. read more

il Canale - Calamari. Was good but it is more zucchini than calamari. - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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IL Canale is one of my favorite restaurants in the Georgetown neighborhood. You can easily see why it made it to DC's top 50 restaurants according to Yelpers. The food, service and ambiance of this place hits all the marks. I highly recommend getting their gluten free and organic wheat flour pizzas. The sauce is some of the best I've eaten. read more

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Vacationing in DC with the family and went to Il Canale on a thursday night. Service overall was good and friendly. atmosphere was fine but nothing to rave about. The disappointment was the food. Caesar salad was tasteless. no garlic. no anchovies. vinegar favored mayo with shaved parmesan and 2 croutons. for the main course, I had the lasagna. Being an italian restaurant, I thought it would be a safe choice. The lasagna was not cut out of a pan, It was an individual portions baked in an individual little crock. The amount of grease floating on top was unappetizing and there was no defined layer of ricotta cheese. It was a bowl of mushy grease mess. My wife had lobster ravioli that tasted really fishy. there was a positive note, The brick oven pizza is very good. If it was not for being able to eat my daughter's crusts, I would have left hungry. We were really just looking to get the check and go but my wife wanted dessert so we got a tiramisu to go. we got home and it was swimming coffee and very soggy. we through it out. If you want anything other than pizza go elsewhere. read more

Great meal with great service! Ordered the meat lovers pizza (w/ just sausage and pepperoni) Virginia provided awesome service and I'd come back again. read more

Great experience at il Canale. We were promptly seated with no reservation on a Saturday afternoon. We received great service the whole time we were there. Inside was more modern than expected, and the almost-picture menu had me worried. But the food was great. Pizza is some of the best neapolitan I had and the apps (bruschetta) and the like were top notch. Great Italian option for DC. It has earned its reputation. read more

I stopped in here after a long day meandering around the Georgetown area. I was looking for a bite to eat and was able to avoid a long wait list thanks to a quickly obtained reservation. I started my meal with the focaccia which came highly recommended by my server. I was shocked a the sheer amount of focaccia that was included with the order. It was delightful and unlike any other focaccia I have tried--in a good way! Given that the walls were dotted with praise for il Canale's pizza, it seemed only right to order that as my meal. As such, I ordered the margherita pizza. It was light and delicious. Unfortunately, the focaccia filled me up and I wasn't able to order dessert, but they had lots of delicious options. Next time! read more

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My wife and I literally made a special trip to DC from Charlotte to dine at Il Canale for its amazing lobster ravioli (original pink sauce recipe), having been there several times before and having amazing experiences. The food, service and host Giorgio Greco did not disappoint! The lobster ravioli was as exceptional as ever - so smooth, creamy and delicious with huge raviolis plump full of lobster and delicious Italian cheese. Host Greco even brought us a taste of the new lobster ravioli recipe that they are working on as well - so sweet! We finished off our meal with the beautiful, delicious Sicilian cannolis - also exceptional. I can't say more positive things about this restaurant, it's food and ownership. If you are in DC and wanting a high-quality, amazing Italian meal this is the place for you! read more

Everything here is ok. Our waitress might have been new as she didn't seem to know much about the menu and we barely saw her. The bruschetta was not good, cold and old. The fried mozzarella was room temp. We did enjoy the lasagna as our only hot item and the pizza was tasty but also room temp. Not sure what all the fuss is about here. read more

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Whoever said this was the best Italian meal they've had must have dry different standards. To start, the service wasn't great- the hostess walked so far ahead of me, threw the menu on the table and walked away without saying a word. They seemed inconvenienced that I was a party of 1 looking for a table. My waitress was nice, but I had to wait a while for her to come back each time. As for the food, I have made better Italian food at home. The meatballs were very generic and reminded me of frozen meatballs from the grocery store. For ambiance, I hope you like your dinner paired with Italian club bangers. It's not that anything was "bad" or inedible, but I'd rather cook at home. read more

il Canale - Gnocchi with meatballs - Italian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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